I read a blog post this morning that discussed the rise of “digital multitasking.” Apparently, more people than ever are multitasking while watching TV.

Between September 10 and October 8, 2010, Deloitte polled 2,000 U.S. consumers ages 14 to 75 on their digital habits. Unsurprisingly, it found that Americans are plugged in.

Additionally, a surprising statistic is that more than one-third of American households now own a smartphone.

Personally, I can vouch for the multitasking angle. I’m definitely guilty of watching Netflix on my computer while browsing blogs on my iPhone. I know, how ridiculous, right?

But think about it.

How often are we totally, 100 percent focused on the task at hand? Honestly, as I type, I’m listening to Pandora and bouncing back and forth between a few (work-related) instant message conversations. Sure, this post is getting written. But I’d be lying if I said I was giving it my full attention.

The next time you’re working on a important task and you get the urge to check Twitter, or your e-mail, or your Facebook, stop. Think about what you’re doing and how long the task will take you. Maybe it’s not difficult. Maybe it really won’t take you too long. But flitting between browser tabs and checking your phone isn’t going to get your work done any quicker. There’s nothing wrong with taking a few breaks here and there, but focusing on solely one task is better for our brains and our productivity.

Although, as a small staff association professional, you’re probably juggling tons of different activities, in different departments, on a daily basis, it really is better for us to not multitask. Just because you have to handle membership logistics and deal with event planning, tradeshows and conferences, focus on one area at a time – otherwise you’ll be more likely to get everything jumbled up.

Are you a chronic multitasker?

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Imagine instead of your five- or 10-person fundraising team, there’s just one person responsible for the fundraising. Oh, and that person is also in charge of the marketing. And maybe throw in a few other duties, as well.

Many organizations don’t have to imagine such a scenario. For small-staff organizations, that’s a reality.

We work with hundreds and hundreds of small-staff association executives, and we’ve heard from them how important it is to be as productive as possible, how important it is for them to be able to streamline their duties, how difficult it can be to manage their memberships with just a handful of employees.

Often, smaller local organizations have just 10 or fewer staff members, and some organizations have just one or two full-time staffers! Although this negates many of the issues that can occur with too many silos, another important issue can arise: there just aren’t enough hours in the day! And now everyone’s constantly being told that they have to start using social media or they’ll lose members. Something’s gotta give!

So, to increase productivity and make the most of your precious hours during the day, here are a few tips to streamline your workday.

1. Schedule a time for e-mail. We can get sucked into answering tons of e-mails and, before we know it, we’ve lost hours of our workday. By scheduling a time for checking our e-mail — for instance, just before lunch — we can avoid the timesuck that often comes with answering important messages. If you wait until just before lunch to check it, you’ll be more anxious to get to your midday break, and, likely, get through the e-mails more quickly.

2. Don’t have a pointless meeting, and don’t let them last for hours on end. How many times have you left a two-hour long meeting only to say, “what just happened?” Meetings are often just a formality, and we could often get the same things accomplished over just e-mail. Don’t have a meeting unless it’s truly necessary.

3. Use an egg timer or online stopwatch. These tools give us tangible deadlines for important tasks, and often we stay more focused when we set a finite time for projects. Additionally, those tangible deadlines are usually the ones we actually adhere to. Whether you set it for yourself or it comes from your boss, deadlines keep us on our toes.

4. Make a to-do list. Research has shown again and again that people who create lists are happier and healthier. Plus, there’s nothing like the feeling of crossing a task off your to-do list. (Full disclosure: I sometimes retroactively add tasks to my list just so I can cross them off. Anal retentive much?) Lists help us prioritize our days, weeks and months.

5. Stop multitasking! Our shiny new iPhones may be able to effortlessly switch from task to task, but that doesn’t mean our brains can do it. Again, research continues to prove that multitasking absolutely kills our productivity. We flit from task to task without really accomplishing anything. So set a timer, get to it and then cross the item off your list.

6. Learn how to say no. Many of us have this inane idea that we have to please everyone, all the time, or we’re failures … which of course, is absolutely ridiculous. If someone asks you to do something (that doesn’t have an immediate deadline) and you just don’t have time for it that day, realize that saying no, delegating or outsourcing it is perfectly acceptable.

And remember, no matter how many or how few staff members you have, we all need time to recharge and have a life outside of work. Whether it’s grabbing a mid-week pedicure, exercising a few times a week, catching up with an old friend for dinner or curling up with the latest from your Netflix queue, don’t forget to take (at least) a few hours each week to breathe.

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We’ve probably all heard the stats about how multitasking actually doesn’t do much to help our productivity at all – bouncing fruitlessly from task to task results in getting nothing done, rather than getting everything done.

Science has shown that those who multitask have more stress and experience fractured thinking both in front of and away from the computer. Although Internet users are more efficient at finding information, they are also, essentially, rewiring their brains, Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute of Drug Abuse, said in a New York Times article.

I absolutely recommend reading the article – among other things, it describes the struggles of a California family heavily involved with technology and how a wife wishes her husband could fully unplug and engage with his family. It also highlights a study done on how multitasking affects the brain. If you’ve read anything about multitasking, it won’t surprise you to learn the multitaskers took significantly longer to perform basic tasks.

Science is proving that multitaskers can’t shut off the multitasking part of their brain, even when they’re supposedly focusing on just one thing.

Our brains are adapting as we try to force an endless amount of information into them, but just reading (or watching) something doesn’t necessarily mean we retain it.

With all the technology available to us now, it’s important to not forget the true focus of associations: engaging with real people, in real life. It’s not fun going to an event and watching everyone tap away at their iPhones instead of actually talking to one another. (I’m definitely guilty of it too, but I’m making a conscious effort to improve.)

Go to any college campus and instead of seeing students chatting with one another, you’ll find coeds tapping away at their phones, or attached to their laptops with headphones in their ears. Our workplaces are no different.

I talk a lot about how great technology and social media are, but when it comes down to it, association professionals have to remember that the best way to actually associate is, well, to talk. In person. Without an iPhone within reach.

Unplugging from our devices can be so refreshing. Take the time to engage with your staff in person. Remember to create meaningful, in-person experiences for your members. We don’t need to rely fully on technology for communication, and sometimes I think we forget that.

If it keeps up, man will atrophy all his limbs but the push-button finger.
(Frank Lloyd Wright)

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Merry Christmas Eve! Have you finished your holiday shopping yet? If you’ve procrastinated a bit, maybe these tips will help you out!

“There’s not enough hours in the day.”

If I had a nickel for every time I heard my mom say this while I was growing up, I would probably be pretty wealthy.

We all know that sometimes, 24 hours just isn’t enough time to get everything done – and I’m not just talking about work. Family, friends, exercise, sleep … who has time for a truly healthy balance? Throw in a killer commute (if applicable) and that’s a recipe for burnout.

Those of you at small-staff associations are probably already more aware than most of the difficulties of time management. When more responsibilities fall to you because of a smaller staff, it’s crucial to prioritize, prioritize, prioritize.

1. If you’re having trouble accomplishing all your tasks within deadline or a reasonable amount of time, keep an activity log for a few days (or even a week). There’s nothing wrong with reading blogs and checking the latest on YouTube here and there, but it can become detrimental to your productivity after awhile.
2. Once you identify your distractions, try setting a few goals. Stay focused on work for 45 minutes and then check out the news or your favorite Web site. If you force yourself to work, work, work all day, every day, the quality of your work could suffer. (Of course, some days do demand this.)
3. Like I said before, prioritizing is key. Make a to-do list. Research has proven that people who keep lists are healthier and happier. (I love the feeling of crossing off an important task!) Classify your duties as Urgent, Important and Habitual. Obviously if a deadline is looming, it makes sense to focus on that task before all others. But regardless of deadlines, stay focused.
4. Which brings me to this point … stop multitasking! I’m guilty of this too (aren’t we all?), but research has also proven that multitasking kills productivity. When your brain floats back and forth between different tasks, your concentration falters (clearly) and memory retention decreases.
5. Get rid of distractions. I like to turn my Tweetdeck notifications off, change my Gchat status to “Busy” and hide my cell phone deep in my bag. If I can’t hear it vibrate, I won’t be as tempted to check it.
6. Finally, be realistic. No one is superman or superwoman – no matter how hard they try. Sometimes, you just need a good night’s sleep. A well-balanced work schedule is essential to not getting frazzled and burned out.

Make time in your busy week for yourself. For example, I go to yoga at least once a week. But it could be as simple as scheduling a lunch date with an old friend or catching up on an old episode or two of “Lost.” No matter how many “hats” you wear in your association, each one will fit better if you devote even a little bit of time to yourself. Happy Productivity!

(Image via CarbonNYC on Flickr)